The Arrival of a Tempest
by timbom
Summary: Raven discovers a strange boy outside Titans Tower one night. He refuses to tell the Titans anything about him for some reason. But along with him, a new enemy has arose seeking out this boy and threatening his existence. Rated for later chapters.
1. The Unexpected Strom

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. I do however, own the names "Tempest" and "Lord Drockord" and may not be used without my permission. This story is a reflection of how the Teen Titans would be run if I were in charge.

Note to readers All Teen Titans are the age of 18 now, because I said so. Also, Terra has been savedand is back on the team, so deal with that fact as well.

CH1: The Un-expected Storm

Looking through the window, Raven couldn't concentrate on anything but the feeling of dread that mysteriously came upon her in a dream and had lingered long after she was awake.

It was in the late-night hours now, and an un-predicted storm had crept over the city of Gotham and was ready to engulf Titans Tower with all it's fury.

"Weather-men" she thought. "Their predictions are as thoughtless as their salaries."

However, as wrong as the expectations for the nights weather might have been, she found it hard to believe that anyone could have missed a storm of this caliber. It was getting increasingly stronger and closer by the minute.

She was unsure if her feelings were a result of the approaching storm. After all, the tower as well as the city have been able to withstand more powerful storms in the past. She didn't put it in the back of her mind, though. As a Titan, she learned quickly enough to always keep your mind open to the threats an opponent may be hiding. This storm may not be as bad now, but it was far from over.

Regardless of that, this feeling was not a welcome visitor.

Normally she would have been able to control this like any other time before. But despite meditation, reading and some spiritual food, it would not give in. She even tried to watch TV or play one of Beast Boys video games out of desperation.

She left the window and sat back down on the sofa where she picked up her book and tried once again to read. Her attempt proved to be as futile as the first.

"What is wrong with me?" she said aloud as she slammed the book shut. "Why can't I do this like all the other times before?"

But before she could think any more about it, a buzzer went off and the main computer came to life with a brilliance that was un-expected.

Raven rushed over to the computer, typed in some commands and was given an instant reply.

The computer alerted that one of the motion sensors outside the tower had been triggered. It brought up the video footage but as hard as she tried, Raven couldn't get a clear view. It was human, and from what she could tell, it was severely injured. They were moving at a slow, cautious pace with an obvious limp in their walk.

As Raven hurried to the main entrance, she couldn't help but wonder why someone would come to them for medical aid. As good as the towers medical facilities were, they still weren't as good as any hospital in Gotham.

She got to the door in a heart-beat and punched in her validation code. The door hissed open revealing the strange figure already waiting there. They were on their hands and knees with one arm wrapped around their stomach, and the sounds of their excruciating pain could not be drowned out by the storm. Every deep inhale was responded by a restrained groan. This they tried masking, but it proved useless.

Raven got on one knee and tried to get a look at their face, but their head had dropped down making it out of sight.

"What's wrong? What happened to you?" Raven asked in the most helpful tone she could muster.

No response.

"I'm here to help you." she tried.

Still no response.

"Here, let's at least get you out of this storm."

But as Raven reached out to them, their head snapped up revealing an icy-blue glow from where their eyes should be!

Raven jumped back in shock and immediately assumed her defensive position, but something was different this time. Attackers would either tone down their attack or surrender completely when facing her this way. It was well known that you'd better take extra caution when Ravens eyes turned white and her hands covered with dark energy just waiting for her deadly commands. But that blue glow continued to pierce the darkness and if anything made Raven want to tone down.

Nevertheless, Raven held her ground and waited for an attack. The attack never came, but something happened that she didn't expect.

The blue glow went dark and the strange person fell to the ground.

Not knowing if this was serious or if they were luring her into a trap, Raven approached with extreme caution. She examined the body, discovering that it was a guy and that he was indeed badly wounded.

With the feeling of him being a threat gone, Raven hurried to the nearest intercom.

"Robin, Cyborg, I need you both down here as quickly as possible."

Within minutes, both Titans appeared looking extremely tired but ready for anything.

"What's wrong?" Robin asked between a yawn.

"This guy came here. I don't know who he is, but he's pretty beat up." Raven replied as she directed them to him.

Cyborg lowered his arm and began checking his vitals.

"I'd say pretty beat up is putting it mildly. It looks like this guy went a couple rounds with a meat grinder." Cyborg claimed as he gently picked him up. "We need to help this guy out, pronto!"

As carefully and quickly as they could, the three Titans carried the strange boy to their medical room.

"Severe cuts, 2nd degree burns, internal bleeding, broken ribs…"

The way Cyborg was reciting the injuries sounded more like he was checking a grocery list.

"Raven, can you fix these?" Robin asked. He was now fully awake and his talking had sped up substantially.

"Most of them."

Closing her eyes, Raven lowered her hands and started to chant. Her hands glowed radiantly as the wounds were fixed and the cuts closed. She found it harder for her to cure him than any other person before, but she shrugged it off thinking it was his severe condition that was causing it.

After concluding, Raven backed away to let Cyborg double check the boys vitals.

"Looks like you took care of pretty much everything, Raven" he said with satisfaction. "But he's lost a lot of blood."

After hooking up the boy to a couple machines and some other necessities, the three Titans left.

"Any idea who he is or where he came from?" Robin asked.

"I'm still trying to figure out how he got here in that condition." responded Cyborg.

"And he didn't speak a word when he was awake" Raven added.

"Well, I'm sure he won't spare any details when he becomes conscious." Robin said. "Are you sure he'll be okay?"

Cyborg nodded confidently.

"My scanners don't lie, man. But right now, they're telling me that it's time to hit the sack."

Robin and Cyborg left, leaving Raven alone with nothing but her thoughts.

"So many questions and no answers. What hurt him? Why did he come here? Who is he? And what was that glow coming from his eyes?"

Knowing that simply thinking about it wouldn't solve anything, Raven ventured to the kitchen. She fixed herself a hot cup of herbal tea and sat down.

"Well, at least that feeling has passed." she thought.

But this didn't prevent her from concerned about it. She still didn't know what brought it about. She decided not to dwell on it, taking another sip of her tea.

Looking out the window, she noticed the dark but surprisingly clear sky. The stars shined with all their brilliance and not a cloud was there to intrude.

"Interesting." she thought. "It's almost as if the storm never came."


	2. No Answers for any Questions asked

CH2: No answers for any Questions asked.

Raven got up slowly after about five minutes of the alarm ringing in her ear. Even though she had hit the snooze button about twenty times, it was not a very good morning to wake up to. As a result of last night she was running on about four hours of sleep at the most, and knowing that as soon as she got to the kitchen Beast Boy would attempt to convince her to try some tofu eggs and soy milk didn't help either.

"At least it's Monday." she thought. "Nothing happens on Monday."

Preparing for the day, she washed up and got into a new change of clothes followed by twenty minutes of meditation.

Then drawing her hood over her head, she left. On her way to the kitchen, she passed the medical room. Pausing, she couldn't decide whether to check on the boy and see if he was awake or if she should just continue on to the kitchen.

"He's probably still un-conscious. It's best not to disturb him yet." she thought as she continued.

She entered the kitchen fixed herself the usual. A cup of herbal tea and some wheat toast.

Beast Boy and Terra were already sitting at the table chatting away like there was no tomorrow. But they took the time to notice that Raven had come around.

"Hey Raven, I saved you some of my special scrambled eggs for you." said Beast Boy with a sly grin on his face.

"If in special you mean tofu, then I think I'll pass." Raven responded in her normal monotone voice.

Beast Boys grin quickly evaporated.

"Oh, come on! I've been trying my hardest all these years to make tofu sound more appealing to you and you've still not even tried one bite!"

"And this surprises you?" Raven responded in her own sarcastic way.

Choosing to save his energy for when he really needed it, Beast Boy dropped the topic and went back to talking with Terra.

Raven looked over at the two and felt a little jealousy creep upon her. They were perfect for each other, as was Starfire and Robin. But she had never had a boyfriend or anyone even close to it for that matter. And though she didn't want to admit it, she wished she did. It was something she had been dwelling on ever since her 18th birthday and although she had heard it many times before, the old "there's plenty of fish in the sea" cliché didn't apply to a person like Raven. With all the super-hero stuff, she couldn't date any normal guy from out side the tower. No, the only way it would be able to work out was if they were living with them and was part of the team as well.

Her eyes wandered to Cyborg, who was sitting two chairs away from her and hungrily devouring his breakfast like a starved lion.

She lowered her head and tried not to think about him. It was obvious that both Robin and Beast Boy were taken, leaving Cyborg as the last male standing. About a year ago she showed some obvious interest in him, but Cyborgs love life was complicated. He claimed that he still had someone special in his heart and that he could never betray that. Respectfully, Raven continued no further but it did hurt her. As far as she was concerned, all hope was lost.

She shook her head, removing the memory from her mind but as soon as that happened, Robin and Starfire entered and it came back as fast as it had left. The two were gazing into each others eyes affectionately and accentuating it by holding hands.

Raven grumbled to herself as she bit into her toast.

Upon noticing that the rest of the Titans were now up and around, Starfire left Robins side to greet the others.

"Good morning, friends!" Starfire said joyfully as she made her rounds to each one of them, only stopping at Terra to give her a bone-crushing hug.

"Morning Star." Terra said with as much air as she could. "But can you put me down now, please?"

Starfire immediately released her and sent her crashing to the ground. Blushing slightly, Starfire chuckled as did Beast Boy while helping Terra up.

"And how are you, friend Raven?" asked Starfire as she got to her.

"Fine."

"And did you sleep well in the un-pleasant gloominess of your room?"

"No."

"Oh! Then may I suggest that a re-arranging and more delightful mood be placed upon it?"

"Not happening, Starfire."

"But on my planet, such appearances in your room would not bring a good nights sleep upon…"

"Let it be, Starfire. If Raven wants her room like that, then I suppose it's best for her." Robin said, taking her by the arm and sitting her down.

"But I don't understand! If friend Raven is having trouble with her nightly rest then we…….."

Starfires conversation faded as Raven paid less concentration to it. The dreadful feeling she had the night before had come upon her once again. This was starting to irritate her and she started rubbing her temples to relieve some stress that she feared would only escalate if she didn't.

"Hey Raven."

She opened her eyes and looked at Robin, whose full attention was on her now.

"You okay?"

Raven looked down at her empty plate and cup. She picked them up and carried them to the sink.

"Everything's fine." she said, giving away no emotion through her voice.

Not convinced, Robin was about to persist but quickly decided against it.

"Hey, has anyone checked on the new guy yet?" Cyborg asked with a mouth-full of bacon.

"The new guy? What new guy?" asked Beast Boy.

"Yes! Who is this 'new guy' you speak of?" Starfire added.

Robin stood up, instantly drawing all attention to him.

"We don't know who he is, or from where he came from. He came here late last night, but severely injured. What caused his injuries is un-known and it remains a mystery as to why he came to us."

"Why don't we ask him." Terra asked.

"Yes! Let us go meet this 'new guy' and find out." Starfire said gleefully.

"I'm afraid that's out of the question. He was un-conscious when we got to him and he most likely still is." Robin replied.

"Well, we should at least check on him." Cyborg responded.

Robin nodded in agreement. The Titans quickly picked-up their mess and hurried to the medical room. Robin turned to them as he punched in the code.

"Remember, we don't who he is, how he got here and what happened to him. Chances are, he doesn't know where he is or who we are."

"Dude! We're the Teen Titans! How could you not know who we are?" Beast Boy claimed proudly.

"He may not be from around here, Beast Boy. Let's not assume that he does." said Robin. "And don't bombard him with questions. Let's just find out if he's okay right now."

Robin opened the door and the Titans entered.

The boy was still lying on the table the same way he was put there. Raven took this chance to get a good look at him, since she wasn't able to before.

The first thing she noticed was his jet-black hair. It was just as long as Robins, but not pointed like his. It was very messy, but she attributed that to the fact that he couldn't fix it at the present time. His face was very smooth and thin with no visible imperfections. He had a very thin moustache and goatee and the most perfectly shaped nose that Raven had ever seen. His skin was lightly tanned and it's color continued down his body where it had some well formed muscles and a stomach sporting a six-pack. A blanket covered his waist-down but if she had to guess, she would say he was a little taller than Robin. She also guessed that he was their age.

"Can anyone maybe identify him?" Robin asked out.

All that came were some "no's" and soft mumbling amongst themselves.

"Why not try this?" Beast Boy said, picking up what used to be the boys clothing. Now, they were shredded beyond recognition and covered in dry blood.

The boys looked through the clothing, searching for a wallet or anything else that would reveal the identity or give them a clue as to who he was. They turned up with nothing.

"Well, that's that. I guess we'll have to wait until he comes to." said Robin.

Then without warning, a vicious scream was let out and the boy snapped up.

The Titans jumped back, startled by the sudden change of events.

The boy looked at them, revealing his crystal clear blue eyes holding much fear in them. For about a minute or two, the boy did nothing but look at the Titans and the Titans looked at him. It wasn't until Robin noticed that the boy was trembling un-controllably that he dared speak.

"Hey, it's okay. Were not going to hurt you. We're only here to help."

"Where am I?" the boy asked fearfully.

"You're in the medical room of Titans Tower."

The boy looked around the room slowly, soaking in every detail. His breathing slowed and he stopped trembling.

"You're the Teen Titans, I assume."

"We are." Robin responded.

"You see! I told you he'd know us." Beast Boy whispered. He was instantly elbowed by Terra.

The boy had now relaxed completely and his breathing became normal.

"Are you okay?" Robin asked.

"I am now."

Then the boy looked down, noticed something, and his face turned beat red.

"Um, can I have some pants?"

After getting cleaned, into the hoodie and white pants Robin donated, and something to eat (where he learned that Starfires home-cooking wasn't a prime choice off of the menu), the Titans directed him to the lounge and sat him down.

"We need to ask you some questions." Robin said.

"What happened to my injuries?" the boy asked, almost as if he didn't even hear what Robin just said.

"Raven was able to heal you through her powers. But that's not what we should be focused on right now." Robin replied, grabbing his attention. "First of all, what's your name?"

The boy looked down nervously for a minute.

"Temp." he said.

"Does a last name come with that?" Cyborg asked.

"No." Temp said immediately. Robin looked at the other Titans with doubt.

"How old are you?"

"18."

"What happened to you last night?"

Temp just closed his eyes and looked away. Again, Robin looked at the other Titans, this time with concern.

"Well, we'll get back to that later. Where did you come from?" Robin tried.

Temp gave no response.

"Please, you must tell us. We need to know in order to help you and bring justice upon those who did those things to you." Starfire said.

Still no response.

"Why did you come to us? Why didn't you just go to a hospital?" Terra asked.

"No!" Temp said sternly. "Too obvious. Too easy. I wouldn't have lasted long in a hospital."

"What do you mean?" Robin asked while inching a little bit closer.

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Look, the less you know about me, the safer you are."

"Dude, we're the Teen Titans. There's nothing out there we can't handle." Beast Boy remarked.

"Why won't you answer any of our questions? What are you so afraid of?" Starfire asked.

"Like I said, the less you know about me, the safer we all are." Temp said boldly.

He stood up and took a quick glance at Raven, which he noted had remained silent throughout the interrogation. Raven returned the look and their eyes were locked until Raven quickly looked away.

Temp looked at the ground, feeling a little ashamed for what he was about to ask.

"Hey look, I don't have a place to stay and I think it's best that I don't ever leave the Tower. Would it be okay if I could stay with you guys?"

Robin looked at the rest of the team, but they gave no response.

"We don't usually let anyone live here unless they're on the team." he said.

"But I could still be on the team somehow."

"Oh really?" Cyborg added with his eye-brow cocked slightly. "And what powers do you have?"

Again, Temp looked at the ground.

"None. But I was thinking more along the lines of cleaning, cooking and taking care of the tower when you're away."

"We'll have to think about it." Robin said.

Temp nodded and left the room.

"Strange boy." Raven said after she was sure he was gone.

"What's even stranger is that he won't tell us what happened to him or who did it." Robin said.

"And what did he mean by 'it's safer for you not to know'?" Beast Boy asked.

"Maybe he's still afraid of what happened and needs some time to cope with it." Terra added.

"Maybe. But did any of you find it odd that he asked to live with us?" Cyborg asked.

"Strange, yes. But I think that may as well be a result of his fear." Starfire suggested.

"I don't think he should stay."

All eyes were upon Raven now. She stood up and removed the hood from her head.

"We don't know anything about him, other than his name and he refuses to tell us anymore. This could be a trap. He could be another one of Slades apprentices undercover."

Terra quivered slightly upon hearing Slades name.

"And now, he's asking to live with us. I doesn't add up." she continued.

"Maybe so, but we just can't assume he's evil for not telling us the information we need or asking to live here." Robin replied.

"There's something else. When I first saw him, his eyes were glowing blue. Now, correct me if I'm wrong but that's not normally supposed to happen."

"What's your point?" Cyborg asked.

"My point is that he's hiding something from us. I don't know where the blue glow came from, but it was un-natural." Raven shook her head. "There's something about him he doesn't want us to know."

"Be that as it may, he hasn't given us a reason not to trust him." Robin said. "But we're going to have to vote as to if he should stay or not."

The vote resulted in letting Temp stay, with all but Raven voting yes.

"Well, that's settled." Robin said, then directing his attention over to Raven. "Why don't you go find him and tell him the good news."

Raven nodded and went on her way.

"I don't like this. I don't like it at all." she thought to herself.

-

Well, there's ch2. Hope you like it, and please review. btw, first fanfic. Keep reading and i will update asap


	3. First Impression

CH3: First Impression

Temp was sitting on a ledge on top of the tower with his hood pulled over his head, looking affectionately at the sunrise. And although you would have to look carefully, his eyes had a faint blue glow to them shining over the white ever so slightly. He was aware of this, but it was normal for him. After all, it was something that went along with being how he was.

But as much as he wanted it to be, he could never tell the Titans about his secret side or anymore about himself for that matter. It disappointed him, but he kept reminding himself that it would keep the Titans as well as himself safe. He came to the realization that he would also need to take extra caution when going out, especially in the night hours.

His thoughts strayed to his mother. He knew that if she would have ever found of what had happened to him and who he aided prior to coming to the tower, she would have been extremely disappointed in him. He lowered his head and tears formed in his eyes. He had been ignorant of what had happened, but he didn't accept that as an excuse and she wouldn't have either.

He pushed the thoughts out of his mind and wiped away the tears. Looking back at the sunrise, he smiled with satisfaction and marveled at the creation.

Raven stepped outside and saw Temp sitting on one of the ledges. She had spent the past half-hour looking for him, and now she found him in the least likely spot. She didn't want to approach him yet, partly because of last nights occurrences, partly because she still didn't trust him and partly because he looked so peaceful and content sitting there by himself. She decided against it and started walking away as lightly as she could so she wouldn't disturb him.

"By the way, thanks for healing me."

Raven gave a startled jump, not expecting him to know she was there.

"You heard me?" she asked.

"The better question is, how could I not hear you?"

Raven was surprised at this comment. She was a good fifteen feet away from him and he heard her regardless of how softly she had been walking. She quickly disregarded this, thinking that he had already detected her presence and was playing with her mind. She grumbled slightly and approached him.

"Robin wants you to know that you're allowed to stay, for now." she said.

"I'll remember to thank him when I see him." he said without turning his back. "Seriously though, I would like to thank you for healing me."

"Don't mention it." she responded dryly.

Temp detected this and looked over his shoulder at her.

"You don't trust me, do you?"

"No."

"Not at all?"

"Isn't that what I just said?" Raven snapped back.

She glared at him but he held no fear of her in his eyes, which she noted were only gentle in nature. For this, she almost apologized for that last remark which she admitted to herself wasn't necessary. She waited for him to respond, but instead he just turned around and silence crept over the two of them. It stayed this way for a couple of minutes until curiosity got the best of Raven.

"What are you looking at?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"The beautiful display being shown in front of you." he said.

Raven looked up and noticed the sunrise that she couldn't believe she had missed when she first entered. The sun shone with all its brilliance through a chain of clouds revealing all imaginable colors combined in a spectacular swirl, as well as illuminating the rest of the sky with a great orange glow. The clouds continued their decent into the horizon, but staying perfectly on coarse with the suns rays as if they were being told to.

Raven sat down next to Temp and just marveled at it's beauty. This was, without exception, the most glorious sunrise she had ever witnessed.

"It's beautiful." she said in awe.

Temp showed a small smile.

"Isn't it?" he said softly.

The two of them sat there the next couple of minutes without a word between them. But as wonderful as the display was, Raven couldn't help but steal a couple glances a Temp as well. Her eyes wandered all over his body, studying him very carefully. He was very attractive, she admitted but she restrained herself from thinking about it anymore. She made a mental note to herself that if he wasn't covered in such a shroud of mystery, she would have made an extra effort to act more appealing around him instead of treating him the way she did earlier. But more important issues were on her mind at the time.

"Why were your eyes glowing blue last night?" she asked suspiciously.

Temp looked at her. It was obvious that he was starting to become nervous again.

"I, I don't know what you mean." he said, then looking back at the sun-set. "You must have been seeing things."

Raven cocked one of her eyebrows.

"Don't tell me what I did or did not see last night, because I already know what I saw." she said, asserting her voice a little more. "What are you hiding from us."

"Nothing." he replied without looking back at her.

Knowing that he was lying only raised Ravens suspicion.

"Yes you are. If you were sent here as a spy or to destroy us, then you are being given your last and only chance to leave right now."

She looked for a reaction from him, but was given none.

"I find it fair to warn you that my powers enable me to probe minds. If I feel that you're going to hurt myself or my friends in any way, then I won't hesitate to do so on yours."

"No you won't." Temp replied boldly.

"Yes I wi…"

But before Raven could finish, Temp stood up rather quickly and glared down on her.

"No. You will not." he said louder and very aggressively this time.

Completely caught off-guard by this, Raven was speechless. She definitely didn't expect him to raise his voice to her, let alone make a stand.

She said nothing and took it all in, his face not need the mouth to say "and I'm not joking, either!", but she especially noticed the way his eyes had changed. Once gentle, they were now filled with an anger she had never seen before. It was an anger that told not to inquire about it any further, but it also revealed an un-known fear lurking within. She found herself intimidated by him this way and was trying her hardest to not let it show.

He said nothing after that, just left and went back into the tower while Raven wondered if what just happened really did happen.

She grew concerned. She had not shown what she considered to be a good first impression and she was now wondering if she might have jeopardized a healthy friendship with Temp. The thought of him responding that way he did because she might have discovered what he really was suggested itself and her suspicions returned, but stronger now.

She put her hood on and returned inside. The dreadful feeling had returned to her, and she felt obligated to keep an eye on Temp.

* * *

I don't know about you, but I'm getting excited about how this story's turning out. And I'm writing it! lol! Anyway, I just can't seem to stop writing it, and I'm churning out chapters faster than I would have thought possible. btw, sorry for the cliff-hanger. I know it's killing you to know more as much as it is me. lol! Anyway, read, enjoy and then review. Thanks a mill! 


	4. Making Amends

CH 3: Making Amends

It was the morning after, and after an hour of meditation Raven was ready to go out and do what she considered was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. Apologize to Temp.

It was a move that she never really had to do with anyone else before, and it had made her nervous for that reason. She had pondered over if she should, and even made a visit to Nevermore to discuss it with her emotions. They all agreed that she had judged him too harshly and that her behavior was inappropriate. But this was not to say that she would let her guard down. She still intended to keep an eye on him in case she detected anything dangerous.

Raven put her cloak on as she left her room to go and se if Temp was awake. There were no more rooms available left in the tower and Beast Boy had offered him a place on his bunk, but Temp took one look at the condition of his room and opted to sleep on the couch in the lounge instead.

Raven hesitantly entered the lounge, but found instant relief in seeing that Temp was still asleep.

She headed to the kitchen and warmed a teapot for her tea and got out a mug, then gave something a thought. She quickly pulled out another mug and put some honey in it.

The teapot whistled at her about a minute afterward, signaling that it was ready. She picked it up, poured the steaming water in both mugs, placed the teabags in them and stirred until the liquid was dark. She picked them up, turned around and was startled, for Temp was standing right behind her. She jumped back slightly at his un-expected presence, spilling a little of the tea in the process.

"Good morning." he said, smiling softly. "Sleep well?"

"Don't ever sneak up on me again!" she exclaimed harshly and ignoring his question completely. She quickly calmed down after she had remembered she needed to apologize to him. Temp, however was surprised at her comment.

"Sneak-up on you? I thought my movement was rather loud."

"Whatever." She looked down and realized that she still had the cups of tea in her hands.

"Um, this is for you." she said as she handed him the one with honey in it.

"Why, thank-you." he said as he accepted it. He took in the aroma and placed the rim to his lips, taking a sip. He nodded his head with satisfaction and looked up at her.

"This is quite good." he said. "That was very sweet of you. Thank-you very much."

"Your welcome." she replied, barely holding back a blush. That was the first time she had ever been referred to as sweet or used in the same sentence, for that matter. Temp took another sip of tea and glanced at the clock.

"What are you doing up so early? It's only 6:54." he asked.

"I always get up this early." she replied, then eyed him suspiciously. "But what are you doing up this early?"

"I have to make breakfast. Besides, I'm used to waking up around this time."

"Make breakfast?" She asked, revealing much confusion in her voice. Temp nodded as he started removing pans.

"One of the conditions to living under your roof is that I cook, clean and watch the tower when you guys are gone. Remember?"

"Oh, that's right."

Raven carefully watched him as he took out the necessary ingredients and started preparing them.

"What's your specialty?" he asked her before starting on anything else.

"Don't bother, I can make it myself." She replied.

"Suit yourself." He said, and then continued on his work.

Raven watched him as he cooked. She admired how well he was able to juggle all the tasks at once from making the scrambled eggs, buttering the toast, cooking the bacon and flipping the pancakes. He made it look as easy as reciting the alphabet.

He finished all this in record time, even Beast Boys tofu breakfast. Raven inquired as to how he knew that Beast Boy was a vegetarian. He explained that he figured it was the only reason why they had more than an adequate supply of tofu, and common sense told him that Beast Boy wouldn't eat the meat that he might have been once before. On top of that, he shared with Raven how Beast Boy had prevented him from going to sleep until he understood how he had to have his breakfast done. This brought a slight smile from Raven, as she imagined Beast Boy doing just that.

Temp looked at the food, but detected something.

"I don't suppose you know what Starfire eats for breakfast?" he asked.

"I've never made the attempt to, and I suggest you do the same." she said.

Temp laughed at this and grabbed a cup of fruit yogurt.

"Here, have some of this and tell me what you think." he said, handing it to Raven. She took it slowly, tasted it, and was amazed at the results. Temp not only put a few chunks of fruit into it, but completely transformed a tub of ordinary vanilla yogurt into the tastiest breakfast treat she had ever sampled. She quickly shoveled another helping into her mouth. Temp couldn't help but show a nice toothy grin, revealing his perfectly white teeth.

"This is really good." she said between mouthfuls.

"Thanks." he said as he walked back to the counter. "It's healthy for you too, ya know. There's more here if you want some, but leave enough for the rest of the Titans."

No sooner than he said that, Raven was already helping herself to a second serving.

"What did you do to it to make it so good?" she asked. Temp simply shook his head and smiled.

"Just like a magician, a cook never reveals their secrets."

After realizing what he just said, Temps mood took a slight downfall, he became quiet and his smile disappeared. Raven was about to ask what was wrong, until the rest of the Titans entered.

"Man! I hope whatever smells so good is only second to its taste!" Cyborg exclaimed.

"I can only hope." Temp said in reply as he displayed the food with his hands. "Dig in."

Wet at the lips, the Titans rushed to the food and piled it on their plates. They quickly sat down and started eating. Upon taking their first bite, Robin and Cyborg paused to look at it, and then increased their eating rate ten fold. This quickly became an eating contest between the two of them.

Temp apologized to Star for not making what she might have wanted. She smiled and assured him that it was alright and that she wasn't expecting him to know what she would eat anyway.

Temp grabbed a plate of food and sat down amongst the rest of them.

"Dude, I'm impressed! I couldn't have done it any better myself." Beast Boy said as he paused between his meal.

"I have to agree." Terra added. "I've eaten at a lot of places in a lot of towns and yet, my taste buds are begging for more! Did you go to school for this, or something?"

"No. I'm self taught." Temp said.

"Moaelkb vslkdjhbf! Oasgz lafsdjg oipuhbsd qwrefgzl!" Cyborg said with a full mouth and a thumbs-up.

"Um, thanks?" Temp said, still trying to make out what he said. Cyborg just resumed eating.

"You must have had a lot of time on your hands to be able to teach yourself so well." Beast Boy remarked.

"I guess you could say that." Temp said a little under his breath.

He waited for them to finish eating until he started clearing off the table. They all thanked him and went on their separate ways, leaving Temp and Raven in the room alone. Temp acted like he didn't notice she was still there as he started the washing process. Raven viewed this as an opportunity to apologize, since she hadn't done so yet. She picked up a dry towel and started to dry the dishes.

"You don't have to do that, you know." Temp said without taking his eyes away from his task.

"I know, but I might as well. If not, you would still be at this until the afternoon." She said, regarding to the heap of dishes next to him.

"Thanks." He said while handing her a dish and flashing a smile at her.

Raven honestly didn't know what to say next. Apologizing to someone wasn't something she had much experience at, and this was something she didn't want to screw up at it especially since Temp was acting like nothing had ever happened yesterday between the two of them. She pondered how to do it for about several minutes until Temp broke the silence.

"You don't say much, do you?" He said, still with his eyes glued to his work.

"It's not a quality I possess." She responded. "But there is something I have to talk to you about."

Temp looked up and into her eyes. She embraced it, seeing that his eyes were of gentle nature.

"Go ahead then, I'm listening."

Raven quickly gave the floor a nervous glance then returned her focus.

"About yesterday, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for how I behaved. I guess I jumped to conclusions and didn't really give you a fair chance." She said and then sighed deeply. "I over-reacted, and for that, I'm sorry."

Temp nodded slightly.

"You know that you're the first person to say they're sorry to me, or admit that something they did was wrong, for that matter?"

Raven was really shocked at this.

"Really?" She asked.

"Really."

Temp then continued washing the dishes, not saying another word.

"So, do accept my apology?"

Temp looked back up at her with a warm smile.

"Whole-heartedly."

Raven couldn't help but smile. It was the first smile she had permitted to show through around Temp, and he took note of this but didn't speak a word of it. Just simply returned to the task at hand.

"I assume though, that you still don't trust me." He said.

"You assume correctly." She said, instantly turning back into her normal monotone self.

"And you know, I don't blame you." He said while throwing in another stack of dishes and continued washing. "You live in a T-shaped tower where it has become your home. The only other occupants in this tower are not only your team-mates, but the only friends you know and have. Then, along comes a strange boy one stormy night and he, more or less, is invited into your home. But what you don't like is the cloud of mystery that looms over this boy and your suspicions only grow stronger when refuses to reveal anything more than his first name."

"He's hit the nail on the head." Raven thought. Temp continued.

"You sense this boy only has the worst intentions and you get a feeling of deja-vu when you recall a past incident where one of your team-mates betrayed and attempted to destroy you and your friends."

"How did you know about Terra?"

"She told me after our little altercation. She figured you would have been that way towards me and she was hoping to get to me before you."

Temp finished with the last of the dishes and started draining the sinks.

"But like I said, I don't blame you for not trusting me. I mean, I wasn't expecting any of you to accept me with open arms anyway."

Both Raven and Temp took the next minute putting the dishes away and cleaning the counter-tops. Raven, however, couldn't keep her mind off of the memories of the night she found him, but more specifically his injuries. She could see them as clearly as she could have when they were in front of her. Curiosity got the best of her, and she had to ask him about it.

"What is it that caused you to be so badly hurt the night we found you?"

Temp said nothing as he continued wiping off the counter-tops. He then stood up at full height and looked at her.

"Let me ask you this. Would you be content if I told you a lie or nothing at all?" He said calmly. Raven shook her head in response.

"Then let's choose the lesser of the two evils, shall we?" He said while walking to the door. But before leaving the room, he thanked her for helping with the dishes, leaving Raven baffled.

It was now later in the day and the Titans were outside on one of their training courses. Temp sat there with his hoodie drawn over his head, although it was a bright, sunny day. Fascinated, he was intent on watching their every move. He had heard of the Titans from where he came, and had been eager to meet them face to face before the turn of events kind of forced it upon him. He desperately wanted to be an actual member of the team, especially since this was the first time seeing them in action, but he realized that it could never be a reality.

He pushed these thoughts away quickly and paid more attention on the Titans themselves.

He especially admired Robin. He was the one Titan that didn't rely on a super power, but his own strength, skill and cunning. Temp thought about it, but couldn't contemplate how long it would have taken Robin to become the way he was, of course being Batman's right-hand-man didn't hurt.

He watched as Robin leaped into the air with such speed and grace. At mid-point, he threw one of his Bird-a-rangs at the target. The weapon cut through the air effortlessly, striking the target and returning to Robins hand at the same velocity of which it left. The target was devastated beyond recognition and Robin smiled at this.

Starfire came into view, fiercely firing her star bolts at the obstacles jumping in front of her and Terra aided by destroying the ones she couldn't get to. Afterwards, Terra strained herself and lifted an enormous chunk of earth, hurling it at one of the bigger targets, destroying it instantly.

Cyborg was at another corner, sharpening his sonic cannon skills at a specifically built area. Every shot taken was deadly accurate and no target stood a chance. Cyborg responded with his typical Boo-yah, and continued.

Beast Boy was also enjoying himself on his training course. Obstacles shot out at him and he would destroy like they were nothing but cardboard. He assumed many forms, but never skipped a beat when it came to doing what he had to do.

Beast Boy had also became Temps first friend out of the Titans. Of coarse, he was still skeptical of him as were the others, but he didn't let that get in the way. After the morning dishes, Beast Boy had challenged him to a race on the Game station. Temp accepted, but it was no competition.

Then, there was Raven. An interesting character, but one not to be trifled with. Temp observed her as she chanted her all too familiar chant, and formed out of nothing, the dark energy which she wielded. She chanted once more, and the energy released itself and attacked whatever she desired.

Not only did Temp find her powers the most impressive out of the Titans, but she was also the most interesting member as well. Temp admired how that she was the most head-strong member, it being proved that she didn't trust him right off the bat. What disturbed him, though was that she wouldn't open up to him or anyone around. It was a mystery as to why she was one emotion throughout the entire day, but he assumed it was her personality. But she was a marvel, nevertheless.

However, practice time was cut short, as the warning bell went off.


	5. A Date with Johnny Rancid

CH5: A Date with Johnny Rancid

"We'll have to cut this short." Robin said upon hearing the alarm. "Come-on! Everyone into the tower."

They all rushed into the building, but it was only Raven who noticed that Temp wasn't outside anymore. She briefly looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen. Choosing to pay attention to more serious matters, she went inside with the others.

However, it came as a shock to everyone when they entered the lounge to find Temp had beaten them there, accessed the computer and brought up the information already! They did nothing but stare at him with mouths to the floor.

"What?" he asked in a confused tone.

"How did you get here before us?" Robin asked bewildered.

"And on to the computer?" piped in Terra.

"And access the information, for that matter." Beast Boy added.

Temped cocked his eyebrow.

"Never mind that. There's trouble downtown." he said, addressing the screen. Robin looked up at it.

"Johnny Rancid." he said under his breath. "Titans, Go!" he yelled.

"Dude, first of all, you don't need to shout in our ears. I mean, we're right next to you. And second, do we all have to go? This seems like a one or two man job anyway." Terra said. Robin's eyes narrowed as he turned towards her.

"Johnny is much more powerful than we give him credit for. Besides, he's a tough one to catch so we do require the entire team."

Robin had such a serious tone in his voice that no one was ready to contradict what he just said.

"Now let's move." he said, not changing his tone.

The Titans left, but before Raven exited the room, she looked at Temp. He was looking at the computer screen, studying it carefully.

"How did he get up here so fast, and why is he looking at that screen like if it was a book?" she thought to herself. Her suspicions arose, but she quickly disregarded them as she focused on the task at hand.

It didn't take the Titans very long to find Johnny. He was doing his usual, blowing thing up and threatening the lives of everyone around him. He laughed manically upon the Titans arrival.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the Teen Titans. I was wondering when you babies would arrive."

Robins eyes narrowed yet again and he gritted his teeth. Noticing this, Johnny remarked.

"Aaww, is the little birdy going to cry? Do you want a hanky?" he said in an annoying baby tone only used by grandmothers.

"The only one's crying after this is done will be you." Robin calmly responded. Johnny laughed at this.

"We'll see about that! You'll have to get through my minions first!"

And at that exact moment, five heavily armored and armed hover-craft tanks rounded the corner and aimed their arsenal at the Titans.

"Allow me to share my favorite hobby with you." Johnny said as he pulled a black box from his pocket. "Remote-controlled warfare!"

At the press of a button, the tanks responded and fired away at the Titans. The Titans found it easy to avoid the shots taken at them, but it was bringing the tanks down that was the hard part. These things had shields thicker than concrete and stronger than anything they have ever encountered, and it was apparent that every shot they took, a building would be destroyed instantly.

Starfires star bolts were useless as was Cyborgs sonic cannon, Robins weapons only bounced off them, Raven literally tried everything in her power and it wasn't nearly enough, Beast Boy could only dent the machines even in triceratops form and Terra could only throw so much earth at them. For her to open the ground and let them fall to their destruction was out of the question, considering how dangerous a move like that would be.

The Titans knew that what they were doing wasn't working, but they kept fighting and they fought hard for what seemed like an eternity until Robin came to a realization that he almost kicked himself for not noticing before.

"Titans! Get that controller!" he yelled over the blasts, pointing at Johnny's controller.

Raven had been the only one that heard him and she was about to direct her attention to him until something flashed in the corner of her eye. A split second later, something pushed against her stomach.

She went short of breath and pain shot through her body as if her blood stream was composed of razor blades. Her hand clasped the area where she had felt the push, and she fell to the ground She removed her hand, and the sight she saw next was horrifying, for it was dripping with blood. She looked down and saw a clean, round hole the size of a golf ball oozing blood, drenching her leotard.

She looked up and saw Johnny, a smoking gun in his hand and a smile across his face, laughing at her expense. In fact, laughing so hard that he didn't see the

Bird-a-rang whiz by and cut his controller in half. Johnny gasped, realizing what had just happened and the tanks powered down and fell. Out of the dust, the rest of the Titans emerged with murder in their eyes.

Starfire quickly scooped up Raven and quickly flew off to Titans Tower, while Johnny, in a state of panic, got on his bike and started to drive away. He didn't get far however, considering that Terra raised part of the road in front of him. He crashed into it, grinding his face against it from all the momentum and he fell.

He crawled out of the wreckage, but Robin was already waiting. He kicked him in the side, forcing Johnny on his back. Robin bent over and picked him up by the collar.

"You have made a deadly mistake." Robin said as the rage started to consume him.

"Please! Don't kill me!" Johnny pleaded.

"Oh, we're not going to kill you." Cyborg said over Robins shoulder. "But when you're through with you, you'll wish we had."

The entire city heard Johnny scream as well as the chilling silence that followed it.

Meanwhile, Starfire was flying back to the tower as fast as she could with Raven barely able stay conscious.

"Please don't die on us, friend Raven. Hold on for just a little longer, for we are almost home." Starfire said, fighting to hold back the tears.

They were flying at a speed that had never been achieved by Starfire, but Raven wondered if it would be enough. He sight was already becoming blurry and she was feeling light-headed and very cold at the moment

Seconds later, Starfire reached the tower and kicked down the door, not willing to waste seconds with the pass code. She ran as fast as she could, containing the most control of Raven at the same time. Half way up, she heard Starfire speak again but her voice had become un-recognizable at this point. Raven could no longer see anything but a mass of bright swirling colors floating by her.

"Friend Temp, it is only me. Quick! Help me get friend Raven to our medical room."

Raven was transferred into someone else's arms, and they continued up at a greater speed.

"Jesus, she's bleeding everywhere! What in God's name happened?"

"She was shot by the Johnny Rancid. Quickly this way."

"Where's everyone else?"

"They're on their way."

Raven was gently placed on a table, but the tension in the two voices had escalated.

"What do we do now, what do we do?"

"Is it something that you can repair?"

"And how the Hell would I know what to do?" the voice said in a near scream. "But we've got to keep her alive until the rest of the Titans get here."

A pressure was detected at her neck.

"She barely has a pulse."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"Hope and pray."

An uneasy silence had crept over the room.

"Friend Temp, upon arrival, I noticed that you were very afraid and there was a strange blue glow coming from your eyes."

But that was the last thing Raven heard, for at that moment, she blacked out.

* * *

Time-out! Before I get any flames, I'm going to reveal a future development. Raven will survive, and she will make a full recovery. That being said, I hope you'll forgive me for having Raven shot. Believe me, it was hard for me to do but necessary, as you will see in the next chapter (which I will update ASAP). But if I could ask a favor, if this story is good as people have told me, then would you guys kind of spread the word around a bit? I would love to share this with other people. A couple of notes to the readers: First of all, Bastian S. Wolf, I didn't get your full e-mail address. I'm always willing to be a pen-pal for someone, since they rock and so do you guys, for that matter. Second: Lupine-Spirit, thanks for granting my request and reading my story. On top of that, thanks for correcting me with the hyphen stuff. I will admit, it was getting out of hand and I thank you for bringing it to my attention. Then, last but not least, I would like to thank Hyuuga Sakura for being such a loyal reader. I'm glad you read and enjoy my story. I've gotta go, but remember two things. 1: Raven will survive. 2: Spread the word around. Thanks a mil. 


	6. A Dream Worth Repeating

CH 6: A Dream Worth Repeating

Raven slowly regained consciousness and opened her eyes. She sat up and looked around. The surroundings were un-familiar to her.

She was in a place where she had not been before, nor had she seen it in picture form. The surface was made of a very smooth and warm white stone with no visible cracks and the sun, although brilliantly bright, emitted no heat. The sky was crystal clear and the horizon was un-touched by neither mountains, hills, trees or anything of the sort. Simply said, it was like being in a paved desert.

"Well, I'm obviously not at Titans Tower anymore." she thought.

Raven took to the air to try to get a fix on her position, but the stone continued as far as the eye could see. She reached for her communicator, but it wasn't on her. She became very concerned at this point, and she returned to the ground to retrace her memories. She closed her eyes and placed her fingers on her temples.

"Ok, let's see." she thought. "I remember us fighting Johnny Rancid and his tanks. And then I remember being shot."

Raven paused to look at where she was shot. There was no wound or scar, so she continued on with her process.

"And then, Starfire carried me back to the Tower's medical room, and both Temp and Starfire were trying their best to keep me alive and then….nothing."

She concentrated harder. She refused to believe that's all that happened, otherwise she would still be at the Tower and she strained her memory until she thought her head was going to burst. A sudden revelation popped into her head and she opened her eyes.

"Oh my God!" she said aloud. "I'm dead."

The wind picked up a bit and blew softly across her face, but what happened next, Raven wasn't prepared for.

_"No, you're not dead."_

Shocked, Raven looked around to find the source of the voice, but she was still alone. The voice didn't come from any particular direction, but seemed to be carried by the wind itself. The voice continued.

_"You're still very much alive and well. Relax and sit down."_

"And were would you suggest that I do that?" she responded all the while still trying to find who was speaking.

_"Turn around."_

Raven did, and noticed a wooden bench that had not been there before. She hesitated before moving to it, and just to be sure, brushed her hand along the top of it. It was indeed real, made of a fine but soft wood. She sat down slowly and placed her hands at her side.

_"Feel better?" _the voice asked.

"Somewhat." she said as she tried again to find who was speaking. "Where are you?"

As soon as those words left her mouth, the sun descended rapidly towards the horizon and stopped suddenly before it touched, shining its light in Ravens eyes. She covered them, but saw a man standing amongst the light. Thanks to the sun, his image was all that she could see. He stood at about Cyborgs height with a perfect posture and a very tone body with hair down to his shoulders, swaying gently in the breeze.

She instinctively stood up, but he stretched out his right hand and spoke to her in a voice much clearer than before.

"Sit back down Raven. I mean you no harm."

Doubt running through her mind, Raven sat back down at a slower pace than before and took a deep breath.

"Now, I know that you have many questions on your mind." the man said. "Lucky for you, I can provide the answers. So let's start with the basics. Shall we?"

"Where am I?" Raven asked immediately.

"Why, you're in Titans Tower."

"Well, aren't you mister obvious." she said sarcastically. The mans head cocked slightly to one side.

"Sarcasm is a nasty habit, Raven." he said, sharpening his tone. "I suggest you drop it, immediately."

Raven squirmed in her seat and instantly regretted her remark. The man continued.

"You're still in Titans Tower physically, but your sub-consciousness has strayed here."

"Why?"

"To set some things straight. Things that are in dire need of it"

The man brushed back his hair, letting it flutter in the breeze a little more.

"Who are you?"

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

"Try me."

The man put his hands in his pockets and took a couple steps to his right. The sun followed him, providing no chance for Raven to catch even the slightest glimpse.

"Trust me on this one, you wouldn't believe. I know this for a fact."

Raven was about to insist, but her better judgment was screaming against it, urging her not to press the issue. The man took no notice of this.

"Tell me Raven, do you consider yourself to be a good person?"

Raven was taken by surprise by this question.

"Well, I don't know. I mean, I do have a past and I am half demon."

The mans response was instant.

"Being half demon has nothing to do with it. And as far as I'm concerned, the person you are now is much different than the one you once were. That's what I concentrate on, so I consider my question un-answered."

"Then yes, I'm a good person."

"And do you ever wonder why bad things happen to people?"

"Where are you going with this?"

The man paced a few steps again, ignoring her question but never taking his gaze off her.

"And why do you surround yourself in gloom and darkness?"

"Because I like it." she responded as monotone as ever.

"Raven, both you and I know that's not the case. I'm trying to help you, but I need you to cooperate with me."

"Why should I trust you, and why are you trying to help me?"

"Like I said, you need some of your issues straitened out. And in terms of trusting me, I won't blame you if you don't but it would be your loss, not mine."

There was an un-easy pause between the two of them that seemed to last an eternity.

"Why do you surround yourself in gloom and darkness?" the man continued, not changing the meaning his voice.

"Because my powers are driven by my emotions. Anything I feel will stimulate them and I don't want to risk accidentally killing someone, and for that reason I surround myself in gloom and darkness so that I won't have incentive to let them loose."

The man took a few more steps closer to her, but still not revealing himself.

"When you say that your powers are driven by your emotions, you're only half correct."

Raven gave him a puzzled look, not understanding what he was talking about.

"Many people in this world have powers." the man said. "Some choose to use them for good, and some don't. It's the way of things, of coarse, but did you ever stop to think why the good always triumph?"

Raven pondered over it, but couldn't come to a conclusion.

"It's because both sides have completely different motives." the man said. "One side has the desire for power, control or wealth while the other has the desire to do good or provide aid, and that's the desire that overpowers any other. It's best described as a fire inside you that's persistent, brilliant, enduring and near impossible to extinguish. If not for that, you wouldn't be as powerful as you could be."

The man went over and sat next to Raven. The sun continued to follow him and Raven still could not see his face as a result. She did notice, however, that he was wearing a suit and a tie.

"That desire is the half of your strength and your emotions act as the fuel for the fire. But I find something interesting about you and your emotions."

"What, that my emotions are my power, yet I must restrain them?" Raven asked.

"No. As ironic as it is, that's not what I was thinking." the man said, shaking his head slightly. "The interesting part lies in the fact that you're so concerned about holding your emotions at bay, that you don't even know which ones should or should not be held."

"What do you mean?" Raven asked, shooting him a confused look.

"What I mean is that many of your emotions are the key to your powers, but not all of them play that part. For example, your anger can be devastating when you release it. But have you ever noticed what happens when you love?"

"Love? I don't love." she said dryly.

"Raven, if you were without love, then you wouldn't care about a damn thing. Many emotions are a result of love, and your life would be empty without it. You're very capable of love, you just haven't experienced the full effect yet."

The man stood back up and took a few steps away from her, not turning his back.

"Do you remember a couple days ago at breakfast?" He asked.

Raven searched her memories and came upon the morning after she found Temp. The man turned around.

"So you do remember. That's good."

"Hold it! You can read my mind?" Raven said shocked.

"Let's stay on subject. Do you remember the specifics of that morning?"

Raven complied, but still was very concerned. She concentrated, though, and tried to remember but couldn't, to her surprise. She shook her head in response.

"That's okay." the man said. "Because, I do."

He turned around and faced her head on.

"The time is 8:07 in the morning." he started. "You fix your usual for breakfast. Like always, Beast Boy tries to get you to try some tofu eggs. You sit down, but what's the first thing you think of? It's not how bland your toast may taste or how cheesy Beast Boys antics may be. No, the first thing that comes to mind is how lonely you are."

Tears welled up in Ravens eyes as she remembered exactly what the man had told her.

"I completely remember now." she said. "I saw how happy Beast Boy and Terra were together. It made me think of the time I tried to hook-up with Cyborg and how it hurt me so much that he's still holding on to an old fling. And then I saw Robin and Starfire and…"

Raven couldn't finish, for the tears she was holding back would not be held any longer. She put her face in her hands and let go, tears flowing as if her eyes were fountains. The man walked over and handed her a handkerchief. Raven took it and he sat back down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder. She sat straight up and looked at him .

"Just look at me." she said between sobs. "A member of one of the most elite crime fighting team in the world, crying."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of." he replied calmly.

Lowering her head, Raven wiped her eyes off, but the tears were still coming rapidly.

"You're right, though. I am capable of love, and to be with someone is the one thing I want most in the world. I'm afraid of being lonely for the rest of my life and, truth be told, I would like to start a family. But it's hopeless. My powers would act up if I tried."

"Which brings us back to the same question I asked a while ago. What happens when you truly love someone? The answer is simple: nothing."

Raven stopped breathing and remained motionless, not knowing if she heard right. She turned her head slowly at him.

"What did you say?" she asked quietly, being as silent as possible so that she could confirm what she heard.

"Nothing will happen."

"But that's impossible. All my emotions are linked to my powers and there are no exceptions!"

"True, but there is a loop-hole."

Raven was now hooked on every last word. This was something she didn't want to miss and had no intention to as well. The man continued.

"If you remember, I said that that your powers are like a fire and your emotions act as the fuel. Now picture a couple hundred gallons of gasoline dumped onto a lighted match. What happens? The fuel will smother the flame, leaving nothing else but the fuel."

The man paused to see if Raven had caught all of it. Seeing that she had, he continued.

"Some emotions will become so strong that your powers won't be able to keep contain its control. Your emotions then smother them like the gas to the flame, leaving you powerless, for the time being."

"Are you saying that love is one of those emotions?"

"Actually, true love."

Raven opened her mouth to speak, but the man continued before she had the opportunity.

"And to answer the question you were about to ask, there's only one difference between love and true love. Love can be felt at any time and has many different forms. True love, however, only reveals itself once you discover your soul-mate."

"I have a soul-mate?"

Truth be told, Raven couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Everyone does. Now, I'll let you in on a little secret." he said while creeping in a little closer, as if he was trying to hide what he was about to say. "Because you and the rest of the Titans are in the business of saving lives, you have little contact with the members of the outside world when you're not on the job. You're constantly at the tower planning raids or keeping an eye on the city, and as a result, restricts you guys to only people living in the tower as possible relationships. It's something you made note of that same morning."

Raven nodded in acknowledgment.

"So, as fate would have it, you're soul-mate will be living amongst you in the tower. For an added bonus, I'll let you know that he'll be on the team as well."

"Are you sure?" she asked in shock.

"I'm never wrong, Raven."

Although she couldn't see it, she was sure the man was smiling.

"Well, who is he?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?" she asked, again shocked.

"I'd rather not spoil the surprise." not skipping a beat, the man continued. "You just haven't discovered him yet." But consider yourself lucky. You can recognize your soul-mate when true love kicks in and you have no powers. Some people go through more than five marriages before finding theirs, so it looks to me like you have an advantage."

Raven and the man shared a quick laugh.

"This has made me so happy. Until now, I thought I was to live my life alone."

"Yeah, I love giving people good news."

"Out of curiosity though, how do you know these things and what will happen?"

Again, Raven could tell that he was smiling.

"I have my ways Believe me, I know you better than you know yourself."

Raven accepted this. Another question popped into her head and she was un-sure if she should ask.

"There's still one thing left on your mind, isn't there?" he asked while checking his nails.

"Yea." she said after letting out a sigh. "I've been recently getting a strange feeling. It's a feeling of dread and I can't explain what's causing it."

The man nodded his head.

"I unfortunately, for reasons of my own, can't tell you everything about that. I will, however, tell you this. It marks the coming of something more powerful than anything the Titans could anticipate. It acts up to serve as a reminder to what's coming. Inconvenient to not even know what it is, if you ask me, but necessary."

"Well, if it's so powerful, why don't you do something about it?"

"Because that's what the Titans were put on this earth for."

Raven wanted to persist, but realized that she wasn't going to get any more out of him.

"So what should I do?" she asked.

"Be on your guard. I'm telling you right now that something terrible will happen to someone you care about, so it's best for you and that person if you stay aware of that feeling."

The man looked up at the sky, stood up and walked a few paces away from Raven.

"I hope this session has been enlightening." he said as he turned around. "But now it's time to leave."

Raven noticed that the sun behind him was continuing to grow brighter at a rapid pace. She closed her eyes, but the light shone through as brilliantly as if they were open.

"Until next time, good-bye." the man said.

Raven suddenly grew very light-headed and she felt as if she was falling. Colors started swirling in front of her, and then, everything went dark, then light again. She slowly opened her eyes.

* * *

Well, that's chapter 6. Sorry it's been a long time since the last update, but I've been super busy. Plus, you don't have any idea how hard it was to write this chapter. It was freaking hard! On a side note, I really enjoy your reactions to Temp. I'm glad you like him. Anyway, read and review. Thanks again:) 


	7. Secrets

CH 7: Secrets

Temp sat there just looking at her. It had been almost a week since Raven had been shot and he had spent a good fraction of his time in the medical room keeping an eye on her. The Titans told him that she was in a healing trance and that she'd be just fine and although he didn't doubt this, he still made sure she was okay.

She was hovering in mid-air at the time. Starfire told him that she was in a healing meditation. He stood up and looked at her harder, as if that process could unlock the mysteries surrounding her. He found it interesting that none of the Titans really knew anything about her. He had inquired, but got very little in reply.

"Well, that's something we have in common." he spoke softly.

Temp had some major skeletons in his closet. Ones he knew he could never reveal, and he felt a connection with Raven in that regard. A connection that he was certain no one else had established with her.

He circled to her other side and lifted the blood-stained patch that had been covering the gun shot wound. He was relieved to see that she had healed completely, just as the Titans had said.

"Still." he thought to himself. "It doesn't void out the fact that you were in danger."

It was a close call, in Ravens case, but Temp had already witnessed the death of anther before and it was an experience that he did not wish to repeat.

The thought of Raven dieing brought up that one incident, and both broken memories and faded images came flooding back to him. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate anything else.

His mind, unwilling to cooperate, played the scene back in his head.

It was about twelve years ago, and he was in a dimly lit room with nothing but a lone bulb hanging in an enormously vast space. The air itself was thick and musty, but a scent was looming about which refused to be defeated. It was the scent of death.

He was crouched in a corner, protected by the darkness for the time. Directly across from him were four people chained by their hands to the stone wall. Only one, however, was breathing.

Her suit had been torn to shreds and she acquired many cuts and bruises. Her ghostly white hair was stained with her own blood and it was obvious that she was having a hard time breathing. She was in obvious pain, but not a tear had been shed.

As blood continued to drip off the lifeless limbs of the others, the figure of a man approached the last one alive.

Temp clenched his fists as the images continued coming.

The woman lifted her head, looking the stranger straight in the eyes.

"Have any of these events made you change your mind?" the man said, referring to the three dead right beside her. The woman spoke not one word in reply.

"Your companions are dead and you are weak." the man said. He picked up a rock from the ground and clenched his fist around it.

"If I wanted to, I could crush you into dust."

At that, he opened his hand, letting the remains of the rock float to the ground.

"Then why don't you?" she replied in spite.

"My dear, you haven't been listening." he said mockingly. He turned his back to her. Temp tried to get a look at his face, but couldn't.

"Your friends refused to comply, and it cost them their lives." the man continued. "The same will hold true if you follow the same path. Now tell me, where are they located?"

"You expect me to just tell you! If that's the case, you must be the stupidest son of a bit…"

She didn't have time to finish because the man turned around and smacked her. The sound echoed throughout the room and Temp had to cover his ears.

The man grabbed her jaw and brought her face to face with him.

"You test my patience." he said as he started squeezing. The woman groaned out in pain. "Now you are going to tell me, or you're going to die. What's your choice?"

The woman spat in his face. The man wiped off the saliva and slowly disappeared into the darkness.

"Wrong choice." he called out, still not able to be seen.

The woman looked into the darkness, right were Temp was sitting. She knew he was there and Temp knew she knew as well.

"Run! Get out of here! Forget about me and save yourself! Go now!" was what Temp saw in her eyes, but he couldn't leave her. He wanted to help, but felt paralyzed.

The man emerged out of the shadows, but with a blade in his hand. He made his way over to her. And as he grabbed her hair and pulled back her head, drawing the blade against her throat, he spoke to her in a sadistic calmness that couldn't be replicated.

"I offered you riches, power and a life that that old prune of a man could never give you. You would have ruled at my side and we would have gone un-challenged. But what do you do? You turn down my offer, seek me out and attempt to kill me."

The man pressed the blade a little harder, allowing a trickle of blood to emerge.

"I was nice enough to give you a second chance. But your incompetence has cost you dearly."

"You forget, your plans won't work without me."

After those words had left her lips, the move was made and the blade cut effortlessly through her soft flesh.

"And you forget, you're not the only one." the man whispered in the lifeless ear.

He let go of his grasp and her head fell limp. The man looked at the bloody blade in his hand. Smiling, he lifted it up and started licking the blood.

At that, Temp yelled in anger and threw his fist against the wall. The impact was too great for the wall and his fist easily punctured. Temp squeezed his eyes harder, totally oblivious to what just happened Gradually, the final image left and he slowly opened his eyes only to see what he had done.

He pulled his hand out of the gap and took a look. The cuts dug deep and bits of the wall were stuck in the skin. No bones were broken, but the bruises were already darkening.

He smiled to himself, in spite of it. This had not been the first time he had done it, and although it hurt, it was only a pin-prick compared to what he was going through every day. After all, there wasn't a day where he didn't think about her.

For he had lost someone close to him that could never be replaced. It wasn't a girlfriend, it wasn't a sister or a cousin and neither was it a close friend. No, he had lost the one person who had truly mattered. He had lost his mother.

He walked over to the sink and started washing his fist. The steaming water scalded him, but he didn't notice.

His tears soon joined that of the sink water as he continued to remembered her. But the part that really got to him the most was the fact that he could have helped her. In fact, he could have stopped it altogether. It was a factor that he would never forgive himself for not exploiting.

He wiped off his hand and his eyes and turned his attention to Raven.

"Oh God, you're so lucky to be you." he whispered out loud.

He approached her side and simply looked at her. Seeing her hover in the air like she was at the moment calmed him. Her face read all the peace the world had to offer, and as ironic as he found it, she seemed angelic to Temp. At this, he gave a shallow laugh.

"A dark angel, that's what you are." he thought to himself.

It was a cruel picture to him, and he exited the room calmly.

He passed the kitchen, catching a glimpse of Starfire out of the corner of his eye. She didn't notice him and he thought it best not to be noticed by her for the time being either.

The reason for this being not only because she was cooking some of her strange alien food, she now suspected that Temp wasn't all that he claimed to be.

This was brought upon when she questioned him about his eyes the day Raven got shot. Temp told her that she must have been seeing things or imagining them. She pursued her interrogation, of coarse, but Temp didn't even come close to buckling at the pressure. He feared, however, that she wouldn't hesitate to spread the word around. In the event of that happening, he would have to flee again.

He continued his path towards Beast Boy's room which he shares with Temp after the both of them spent two days cleaning.

He entered only to find Beast Boy doing exactly what he had been doing when Temp left a couple hours ago. Playing his video games.

"Dude, I still can't believe you've never heard of Super Monkey Smashes 12! It's seriously the best game ever!" Beast Boy said without looking up from the TV.

Temp smiled and laid down on his bed.

"I do apologize. I'm just not the avid video gamer that you are." Temp said sarcastically.

"Well, don't worry. Give me a couple weeks and I'll change that."

Temp shook his head slightly and closed his eyes, trying to relax a little. He was successful until Beast Boy threw a slight tantrum for losing again. He turned his game counsel off and hopped in his bunk.

"About time." Temp remarked. "You know, if you watch too many TV and play too many video games it'll kill all your brain cells."

"Yea right. That's only a myth, everyone knows that."

"Alright, go ahead and think that way. But when your reading abilities has shrunk down to a second grade level, don't come crying to me."

The two boys shared a brief laugh at this.

"Out of curiosity, why aren't you with Terra right now? I mean, you two are usually inseparable." Temp asked.

"Oh, well she just feels a little under the weather right now and she needs to rest. I didn't want to catch whatever she has, so I'm taking some time off." Beast Boy responded. "But what I'm curious about is where you have been. It seems like I see less and less of you every day."

"I was cleaning like I was supposed to." he said. He looked over at Beast Boy who was grinning at him.

"What?" Temp asked defensively.

"That's not all you were doing."

"Well I did visit Raven, if that's what you mean."

"AH-HA! I knew it!"

"What?"

"Now Temp, don't think I don't know."

"Know what?"

Truth be told, Temp really didn't know what Beast Boy talked about. But this didn't stop Beast Boy from keeping quiet.

"I'm going to be serious for a moment." he continued. "I've seen the way you've been looking at her, and lately you've been doing nothing but staying in the medical room with her even though she's okay and we keep telling you that."

Beast Boy gave a wide toothy grin at what he was about to say.

"Admit it. You have the hots for her."

"Oh please. You're way off target if you think that's the case."

"Oh no. I know what I see when you're around her and you can't convince me otherwise."

Temp shifted his position so that he could direct his full attention to Beast Boy.

"First off, she's not my type." he started. "Second, she hates me. And third, she is really mysterious. I don't fall for mystery girls."

Beast Boy lifted his finger to accentuate what he was about to say.

"I notice that you never said she wasn't attractive."

Beast Boy exposed another toothy grin, but now it was his turn to direct his attention towards Temp.

"Number one, how do you know she's not your type? You haven't even tried to find out if she is or isn't. Number two, she doesn't hate you. She's like that to everyone. And number three, it seems to me that you hold a same level of mystery about you, so you're perfect for each other."

"Whatever. I don't even want to be in a relationship."

"You're only saying that to shut me up."

Temp shot him an extremely smug look.

"You don't miss a beat, do you."

They shared another laugh.

"Hey Beast Boy. Has Starfire mentioned anything to you about me?"

"About what?"

"About anything."

"No. Why?"

"No reason. Just curious."

"Temp was relieved to hear that. He glanced over at the clock.

"Wow. It's late." he said.

"What time is it?"

"1:14."

"In that case, I'm turning in."

"Me too. Good night Beast Boy."

At that, the lights were turned off and they went to sleep. However, it wasn't the good nights rest that Temp had hoped for, and he started dreaming.

He opened his eyes to see himself in the same room he was twelve years ago. And that same scent was looming in the air. He tried to move, but felt resistance. He looked only to find himself chained against the wall.

"No! No, this can't be happening!"

He looked to his left to see six shadows. A laugh echoed throughout the room.

"Time to join your friends." it said. He knew who it was.

A light penetrated the darkness and exposed the six figures. It was the Titans.

All of them were covered in blood with very deep cuts. A look of fear had been frozen in their lifeless eyes.

"Oh God, no!"

The laugh grew louder, and that's when Temp woke up. He was shaking violently and sweating profusely. He had to keep his mind occupied and he knew just the thing.

He grabbed a change of clothes and went down to the gym. He changed, put on some Mozart and started on the punching bag.

Usually doing that would flood any concerns out of his head but tonight, they resisted. He tried many tactics but no results.

At this he got severely pissed off and started punching the bag harder.

It went on for a long time and he didn't even notice his hand he injured was opening up again. Each punch he threw started to splatter blood, but he didn't notice. It wasn't his priority.

He yelled loudly and threw with all his might. The punch was too hard for the bag and he punched right through to the other side.

He stopped and laid his head against it. His head was pounding and he was covered in sweat and blood. He took the time to relax, but he felt something suddenly. He looked up and knew, he wasn't alone in the room.

* * *

Appoligies all around for not updating sooner. The reason? Well, I've been in a musical for the past few months and have been really busy. Plus, I've started a **second** job and I'm in the process of buying a new car. (by the way, the musical I was in was "The Music Man" and I played Harold Hill. If you like theatre but are un-familiar with the show, then shame on you). Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. I was pleased with the response with the last one, but it must be known that the strange man in the last chapter shall remain an unknown character. So don't go off thinking it's the guy in this chapter or Temp or anyone else because I'm not telling you who he is. Anyway R&R, and I will try to update sooner. Thanks. 


	8. Girl Talk

Side Note: It was brought to my attention that the name "The Tempest" is not owned by me. This is true, and I would like to make an appology for that reason. However, this character is not the same as the one I was informed of, and I took the name thinking it had not been used yet. (Lack of reaserch on my part). And it's a little late in the game to chang his name, so all I can do is appoligize for the mistake.

CH 8: Girl Talk

Raven opened her eyes slowly and looked around, instantly recognizing the medical room of Titans Tower.

"Thank God I'm back. I would have killed someone if I ended up at another whacked-out place." she thought to herself.

She got up, making sure her movements were not too quick. She removed the patch from her side to make sure there wasn't any trace of the wound left, which there wasn't.

But as soon as she got on her feet, she felt it rushing through her body, and she made her way to the sink as quickly as possible to do what she hoped was not gong to happen. She puked.

And she kept puking until it was nothing but dry heaving.

She stayed there hunched over the sink for what seemed like an eternity until her strength returned. Frankly, she was glad that no one was there to witness it.

Very slowly, she staggered out of the room and down the hall, where she eventually came across Starfire who was exiting the kitchen and remarking to herself how excellent she had prepared her own supper.

Not missing a beat, Raven grabbed Starfire by the arm and dragged her along with her.

"Why friend Raven! I am so relieved to see you're alright!" Starfire claimed, seemingly unaware that she was being dragged down the hall.

Raven got to Tarras door and practically knocked it down, she was beating on it so hard.

"Hold on! Just give me a second!" Terra yelled from the other side.

Terra opened the door, but was grabbed by Raven quicker than she could react. With protests coming from both girls, Raven made her way to her room, opened the door, and threw them both in.

"Raven, what is this all about?" Terra asked.

"Yes, and why must we be in the gloominess of your room?" Starfire said, all the while looking about at all the statues.

"There's something I need to tell you." Raven replied.

"Well, let me start off by saying that I'm glad you're okay and that you're out of your trance." Terra said. "But you've been sleeping for a good week and you need to tell us something? And is really that important for you to bust into my room and drag us here? Can't it wait until morning? I'm tired."

"Yes, this behavior is quite odd coming from you, friend Raven." Starfire piped in.

"I had a vision, of some sorts, when I was out. I wouldn't feel comfortable telling anyone else, which is why I'm dragging you two into this. And I know that what I say will be safe behind these walls as opposed to any other room in this tower." Raven said.

"You said you had a vision?" Starfire asked, cocking her eyebrow.

"It's probably nothing, Star. It's not like it's uncommon for someone to dream." Terra said.

"Be that as it may, I feel we should listen to what friend Raven has to say about this vision of hers." she replied. She then focused her attention to Raven once again. "Please friend Raven, tell us what your vision consisted of."

Raven sat down on her bed, and told everything. The sun, the stone ground, the bench and especially the mysterious man. She spared no detail and the girls listened inventively, Starfire especially. Raven finished, and looked up at them.

"Well, can you make anything out of it?" she asked.

"I still maintain that it's just another normal, harmless dream and that you're getting worked up over nothing." Terra responded.

"Except the only difference is that everything felt real. Realer than anything could have possibly been in just a normal dream." Raven said.

"Don't be too hasty in saying that it's just nothing, and can be discarded from memory." Starfire said to Terra. "Raven, you said that there was a man in your vision?"

"Yeah. But I never saw his face, and he's someone I have never seen before. Why?"

"Because on my planet, it is not uncommon for someone either suffering from a serious injury of dying to see the figure of a man in a vision such as yours."

"Really. What would he tell them."

"Well, for those who were dying, he would tell them about past memories that were long forgotten, fill in blanks for them and comfort them before there passing. And for the injured, inform them that it's not the end of the line. He would inform them of certain faults, try to persuade them to change for the better and usually that was when the person awoke. But if it was inquired of him, he would tell them a little about their future."

Raven thought about this. It was clear that what Starfire was saying, for the most part, fit her experience.

"Was his appearance visible, and were the locations of the dream the same as well?" she asked Starfire.

"As far as where the dreams were being held, it would differ from person to person. But like yours, no one could see his face."

Raven was now certain that this was no normal dream and that this was the same man that Starfire spoke of.

"I still think it's just a coincidence and that you're getting worked up over nothing." Terra said.

"Yes, it may be just a fluke." Starfire said. "But from what I'm hearing, it may be more than that."

"There is one thing I would like to bring up." Raven said. "And it is that he said that I have the ability to love. I know that it seems like a long shot, but could this be true?"

Starfire pondered over this for a few seconds.

"You know what all those dreams everyone on my planet had in common?" she said.

"What's that?"

"Regardless of what the man said, he was always right."

"So, I can?"

Starfire gently took Ravens hands into her own and looked her in the eyes.

"Again, I must remind you that this dream of yours may be pure chance. It may be only nothing that resembles something. But if it is what I think it is, then yes."

Raven was concentrating on keeping the joy locked in herself. It was hard, but she kept reminding herself not to keep her hopes up.

"Now there is something I must tell you, Raven." Starfire said.

"What's that?"

Starfire looked away for a second, debating with herself if she should tell Raven what's on her mind or not.

"Well, the night that Johnny Rancid shot you and I was rushing you to medical aid, when I encountered Temp, his eyes were glowing blue. Just like you said."

Raven retraced her steps, going through the process of dragging Star and Terra into her room and telling them the dream, to waking up and puking, to the dream itself and finally the events that took place before she went unconscious. She couldn't remember seeing Temps eyes, but she did remember Star remarking about them.

"I remember about that." she said.

"Then it is as you claimed." Starfire said. "There is something that Temp is hiding from us."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Terra asked.

"I guess I was so concerned about Ravens well-being, I forgot about it." she responded.

"Have you told anyone else?" Raven asked.

"No. And when I asked Temp about it, he said I must have been seeing things."

"That's exactly what he told me when I asked." Raven said. She was now reminded of her suspicions.

"Well, what do you suggest we do about it?" Terra asked.

Raven just shrugged her shoulder.

"I think we should push it aside for the time being." Starfire said. "However, we should keep an extra cautious eye on him, just in case."

"Well, maybe we should just do something about it. I still don't think he can be trusted." Raven said. "If he does turn out to be a threat, then now would be the opportune time to strike."

"True, but he hasn't done anything to prove that he is an enemy." Starfire said.

"And if we do attack him without knowing the facts, and no motive, it would go against everything we stand for." Terra added.

Raven took it all in, realizing that her plan for action wasn't going to fly.

"Fine." she said. "We'll keep a look-out."

"Should we tell the boys?" Starfire asked.

"No, they have better things to worry about. Lets just keep it between us girls." Terra said.

"Very well." Starfire said, then directed her attention towards Raven. "Is there anything else you wish to discuss, friend Raven?"

"No. But I need to meditate. So if you don't mind…"

"Of coarse." Starfire said, not needing an explanation. "Come friend Terra, lets leave friend Raven to her extracurricular activities."

Both the girls left, and Raven got up to light a few candles. She crossed her legs and started to levitate, and then closed her eyes, got comfortable and began to chant. Images started to swirl in her mind. Much of them consisted of her being in Nevermore, talking to her other emotions, and some consisted of the dream.

As minutes turned to hours, the memories came flooding to her. Memories of battles long gone, memories of the good times she had with the rest of the Titans, and memories of former friends.

Everything was going well until an unfamiliar scene started to run through her head. She was in a dark room that resembled that of a dungeon, and the were a group of six people chained against a wall. She couldn't get a good look at them, but they seemed familiar. The evil cackle of someone's laughter emitted from the darkness and the shadow of a man appeared. He stood in front of the people, and in his hand he held a rod. At the push of a button, electricity shot out and lashed the first person. They yelled in agony, and the strange man continued to lash them with the device, each scream being worse than the one before, until the screaming stopped altogether. He did so unto each person until he got to the very last. He paused, and Raven could swear she could hear the smile stretching across his face.

"I'm going to enjoy this one." the man hissed.

Raven tried to get a better look a the person he was referring to, and although she couldn't get a better view, she had a feeling that she knew this person.

The man once again raised the rod, pushed the button and the attack commenced. This person, however, was different. Every time the man lashed them, Raven could feel it. And every time she felt it, she wanted to yell out, but her mouth wouldn't cooperate, regardless of what she was telling it.

Every lash got worse, and every lash the man laughed, enjoying his time.

He prepared for the final blow, but as soon as he made contact, Raven awoke from her trance and fell to the floor of her room. She looked around to make sure she was back, and checked herself for any indication that she was hurt in any way. There were no wounds, red marks or even lingering feelings from where the pain occurred.

She stood up and that's when then it hit her. The horrible feeling had returned.

She clutched her forehead and staggered to her bathroom.

"I'll feel okay after a hot shower and something to eat." she thought to herself.

She got prepared and jumped into the shower, where the warm water welcomed her with open arms. It felt too good to be true, as the water flowed all around her and relaxed her muscles. She washed herself, but stayed for a couple extra minutes, not wanting to leave.

She got out and dried herself and put on a fresh pair of clothes. The time was now exactly 3:00am.

She left her room and headed for the kitchen. But along the way she stopped, for she heard something. It was muffled, and she couldn't tell from where it was coming from. She searched throughout the tower, trying to pinpoint the location. As she got closer, the sound became clearer. It sounded like music.

"Is that Mozart?" she thought to herself.

The music got louder and louder, until she came to the gym.

"Must be Robin." she thought. It wasn't uncommon to find him working out at odd times during the day. He never worked-out to Mozart though, which she found was strange.

She peeked into the gym and to her surprise, she saw Temp at the punching bag. The sweat drenching his shirt told her that he had been here for awhile, and he was throwing violent punches at the bag. In fact, his punches were so violent, Raven saw blood was starting to cover the bag and splatter over Temp.

He acted like he didn't notice and continued punching, each one growing fiercer than the other. In his final punch, he yelled out loud and penetrated right through both sides of the bag!

The contents started to spill out, but he left his arm in it and placed his head against it, taking in a few breathes. He slowly looked up.

"How long have you been there, Raven?" he asked without looking around.

Raven was taken by surprise. She hadn't made a move or given any indication that she was there. But she ignored it.

"Not long." she replied.

Temp let go of the bag and turned around.

"Sorry about the punching bag." he said.

"That's not exactly what I'm worried about." she said, referring the his hand and the puddle of blood forming at his feet. Temp glanced at it.

"Oh, that's nothing." he said.

"Yeah right. Now be still " she said, taking a look at it. It was a fresh cut, but it looked to have been opened earlier. The punching bag couldn't have done this. She pushed the thought away, not really wanting to know what he did to cause such a cut in the first place.

Raven closed her eyes, and started her healing trance. Like before, she found it harder to heal him than anyone else.

She finished and opened her eyes, satisfied to see that the wound was completely healed. Temp looked down at it, and moved his fingers.

"It's like it never even happened." he said, smiling at her. "Thanks. I'll have to watch how hard I swing next time."

"Why are you down here at this hour of the night?" she asked.

"No reason." he said, picking up a towel and wiping off his sweat. "Just wanted to, I guess."

Raven could tell that there was more to it than that, but she didn't press the issue. Temp strolled over to the CD player and turned off the music, then made his way back towards Raven.

"Thanks again." he said while gesturing to his hand. He made his way toward the door, and stopped.

"Oh, and Raven?" he said while turning around. Raven turned and confronted him as well.

"It's good to see that you're okay. I was really concerned."

He flashed her a quick smile, and exited. Raven was tempted to smile back, or at least respond vocally, but she did no such thing. Instead, she directed her attention back to the punching back that now lay in ruins.

"What could have made him do this?" she thought to herself.

She started to clean it up, including Temps blood.

"He's such a weird boy." she said aloud.

And that concludes chapter 8. My appoliges for not updating sooner (I know it has been more than a year). But alot has been going on. I promise an update in the near future. The reason it's been so long is because I had to re-evaluate where the story was going, and I've been working on some rough sketches for two other stories based on BMW's "The Hire" series, as well as a story based on the Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic video game. Plan to see either of them in the near future as well. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and sent some good feedback!


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